No! Not The Bees!

Friday just got a little weirder: The National Park Service just closed the popular Jumbo Rocks camping area in Joshua Tree NP for terrifying reasons—swarming bees. Officials have closed the spot until August 10, unless bee activity diminishes.

Why are the bees so active? Current super-dry conditions have sent the stinging buggers in pursuit of moisture from any source:

As seasonal dry conditions increase before the onset of summer monsoonal rains, bees will actively seek moisture from any available source including car radiators, coolers, drink containers, trash cans, restrooms, and even sweat on human skin. Though bees seeking moisture do not generally sting, their close presence can negatively affect visitor enjoyment and create an unsafe condition, especially for those allergic to bee stings.

Swarming bees "negatively affect visitor enjoyment?" They do a lot more than that—as much as I love J-Tree, I'm not sure a visit is worth enduring this: